Unwelcome
by CrystalFNfire
Summary: A friend of Legolas, a human girl comes to Mirkwood to visit the elf's home. Unfortunately, the other elves are not as happy to have her as the prince is.
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello! If you're a nostalgic reader coming back to check this out, you'll realize that a lot of this has changed. This is because I've realized a lot of this story was badly written, though the idea is not all that bad. Therefore, I've redone a lot of this story. Enjoy!

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Prologue**

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Laine stared across the landscape, shielding her eyes from the midday sun. The flat, green plains ended abruptly in the tall vastness of mossy dark trees. She could not see the end of the lines of trees to her left or right. To the north, were mountains, but in the south, the plains seemed to stretch on forever. The sun was hot on the top of her head, and using a hand, she raked through her strawberry, almost dirty, blond hair.

She couldn't take her eyes off the majesty and lushness of the forest of Mirkwood. This was an unusual heat for spring, this far north in Middle-Earth, and the grass beneath her horse's feet was dry. Yellow blades protruded from the green earth of the Gladden Fields. However, none of the shining rays seemed to pierce the dense, towering monsters of green in the forest of the Sindarin elves.

An elf rode up next to her and breathed in the familiar air of his home. Looking forward, he could not remember Mirkwood looking that vast ever before. His horse, a handsome roan mare, spurred impatiently, tossing its brown mane in his face. He calmed it, and brushed the horsehair back in place with a long slender elvish hand.

Laine noticed her companion and laughed. But as she did, her own horse spurred, blinding her sight for a moment with black hair. This time, it was Legolas's turn to laugh. He stopped abruptly when Aragorn stopped his horse next to his and gave the two an amused look.

The girl switched the reins from one hand to the other, impatiently stirring in the saddle, and gave the man a smile. Aragorn, a tall man, stern, but gentle, with a kingly look upon his brow, shook his head at the girl's youthful cheerfulness. She was at the young age of 19, but because of her nature, she was still a bit naïve and tomboyish. Looking back at the line of trees, the king of Gondor said, "Well, here we are," and urged his horse towards the woods. The two others followed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1

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Laine had been in Mirkwood, in the company of the elves, for three days, and she did not like it one bit. Legolas was the elven prince, so of course, he fit right in. The elves were friendly to Aragorn because he had been fostered by elves as a child and knew their ways and their correct form of conduct. But to her, a human girl who had never been around so many elvesthey were utterly hostile.

She believed that the only reason the elves did not all just rise up and run her out of Mirkwood was that Legolas would not allow them to. Even in three days, she had already heard the prince explain to his friends too many times that she was not intruding on Elvish land, but was his guest. She never felt safe in the woods unless she was with Legolas, Aragorn, or Ranien, one of the few elves that approved of her arrival and stay.

The two had become fast friends, and Aragorn and Legolas approved of it.

The elves were more hostile to her than they would have been to most humans because of her stubbornness, her strong will, and her refusal to be as demure and relenting as the elf-maids. Few would look past the outer barrier to see the girl on the inside.

Today, though she was afraid, she knew that she needed some time to herself to think things over. She knew that she had to stop being so afraid of the elves: something had to change, and it was unlikely that the Mirkwood elves would initiate it.

So without calling her friends, she put on a confident face and walked out of her room, out of the palace, and into the woods. It was not that her room was a place unsuitable for living (Legolas had made sure that her room was as well furnished as his own), but it was that she had always loved the fresh air more than the inside of a building.

That was why that this day, she walked out of the gates of the palace holding her breath for the joy of being outside again.

When she finally let it out, she was in the woods alone. Only the wind rustled the leaves, but it felt hot and stuffy because of the proximity of the trees. However, the flowers and undergrowth gave off a clean smell of the earth, which she liked much better than her unaired room. The forest seemed dark and a little eerie, even this early in the morning because the sun could not penetrate enough of the woods to shine brightly on the forest floor.

To her amazement, she had come this far without being ambushed by the elves. _Glad to know you can do __something__ on your own_, Laine, she thought, and rolled her eyes. Then, feeling better, she started her walk around the grounds, getting her exercise and stretching her legs. Even the hot zephyr felt good against her face, as her neck had began to perspire already. She planned on walking a few times around the palace, perhaps even going down to the lake in the forest for a refreshing drink.

But she would never get her chance.

Suddenly, in her walk, deep in thought, she heard a twang of a bowstring. She only was just in time to see an arrow whiz by the side of her face. Startled by the proximity of the weapon, she leaped back, tripped, and only did not fall because of a tree trunk that supported her weight. The roughness of the bark scratched her hands, and she felt the back of her shirt catch and almost tear from the trunk of the tree. The stinging of her palms were not her worst fears, however.

Shaking her head and still breathing hard, she looked to where the arrow was. With the twanging of the arrow still ringing in his ears, Laine saw the yellow feathers with the greenish tint of the arrow almost immediately. Its head was stuck firmly in another tree trunk that she had just been standing in front of before. Was someone trying to kill her?

Clear laughter from further down the road brought her back to her senses. Trying to ease her breathing and gain control of herself, she stood again and walked a little towards the sounds of merriment. It did not sound cruel, and yet, she somehow knew that it belonged to the voice of the one who had shot the arrow.

A small band of elves appeared before her eyes, each one of them holding a bow, and each carrying a quiver full of arrows on his back. They were beautiful from a distance, each wearing the garb of the warriors of Mirkwood. The uniforms were all green, with a tunic over leggings and a shirt, which bore a large leaf. All were green, and a bandolier and belt held the quivers that were on their backs. A silver leaf buckle fastened each bandolier and belt. No helms were worn, however, and each from each head flowed silky yellow hair.

As she came into their view, she saw that one of them had just fired an arrow, though his yew bow was lowered. However, it was still bent and one arm was still a bit outstretched. When he saw the look on her face, he seemed almost amused. "So sorry," he spoke, Lainegning concern. "Didn't see you there."

Her heart sank in despair when she saw who it was. The one who had spoken was Taecarwatar, a tall and foreboding elf, someone who had hated her when he first laid eyes on her. Next to him, was his friend Maedhros, an elf who was cynical but had a good heart and stood up for his friends, but was not any friendlier. She had half a mind to run as fast as she could back to her room, but she knew that would only make the elves happy and lower her already sinking dignity.

Relying on her senses, she only stood there and looked back at Taecarwatar, who was still smiling at her coldly. "Now go and retrieve the arrow…" he smiled wider, and opened his palm. Laine narrowed her eyes. "…like a good little girl."

Anger swelled in her chest. Her eyes flashed with fire, and though she did not say anything, Maedhros saw the hatred gleam in her eye and with one arm, pushed her into a tree, and held her there. The back of the girl's head came painfully together with the trunk of the tree with a sickening smack, and for a second, she was dazed.

"Do not be stupid," Maedhros growled, his eyes sharp and blazing. His lips were pulled back threateningly. "Act on what you were thinking, and you will be dead." He held her down on the tree, but she was now coming back from seeing stars so that she finally knew what was going on. "Retrieve the arrow human."

"Retrieve it yourself," she said, and with some effort, pushed the elf away. Then, she walked towards the group of elves as if to storm angrily through them. Maedhros seemed stunned that he had been treated that way by a human, and did not move immediately after Laine. Intentionally, she rammed her shoulder into an unsuspecting Taecarwatar, knocking him to the ground, though he was almost eight inches taller than she was and weighed at least fifty pounds more.

Arrows scattered across the path like leaves and he dropped his bow. Anger was seething out of him so furiously that he could not speak. Laine, on the other hand, Lainegned concern. "Oh, so sorry," she mocked coolly, hand coming to her mouth. "Didn't see you there." The elf's face became almost red with hatred and anger. The look could only mean death, but Laine had seen it enough times on his face to be use to it.

Hurriedly, she walked off, and none of the elves pursued her. They were either holding back laughter of amusement or merely stunned that a human, not to mention a woman, had the warrior on the ground. Staring after the woman with hate, Taecarwatar pulled himself up and recollected his arrows.

Even Celebfindel, his other best friend, a good-natured elf who was fonder of the girl than any of his friends, was trying hard to fight a smile. The fallen warrior glared at him, but could not resume his dignity. "Well," his friend said, liking the girl a little better for not letting the joke end up on her end. "You will have to admit: her comeback was good."

But Maedhros remained loyal, and glared at the dwindling shape of the girl, who all could tell was heading back up to the palace. "You will also admit, this means war. She will not last long." He gave her one last look before returning to shooting practice, wheels working in his mind.

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Walking in to supper, Laine stepped timidly into the room filled with elves, all eating and talking amongst themselves. She was afraid that if she stepped in, they would all stop and turn to stare. Though the Great Hall was big enough and brightly lit, she always seemed to be the center of attention. It was lined with at least a hundred tables, each now laden with food. The walls were decorated with banners and flags of past elven kings and warriors. Tapestries hung in all the colors of the rainbow down the sides of the walls, which seemed to be made of wood. Fire-lit torches hung on the wall and elegant lanterns hung from the high ceiling. The Great Hall was one of the few places in the elven palace that had windows was above ground, but that did not make Laine like it any better.

"What are you waiting for?" Ranien prodded gently at her side. "Go on. You look as if elves would bite." Then, catching her glaring eye, he immediately added seriously, "They do not."

You have no idea, she thought bitterly deep down inside of her, but on the surface, she only smiled and said, "I know, I know. You were joking." But she also added, "I just don't know if I can do this again."

Ranien knew what she was talking about. For the past three days, when she had come into the Hall for meals, elves had turned to stare and grown quiet wherever she passed, None of them trusted her, though not all of them hated her as Taecarwatar's small group of friends did. "Yes, you can," he answered patiently. "Just ignore them."

The human girl nodded, closed her eyes for a second and then, holding her head high, faced her fear. Ranien gave her arm a reassuring squeeze and watched her walk to the table with prince Legolas and Aragorn. There were two empty seats. One was for him, he realized.

He looked upon the figure of Laine as she made her way through the crowds of elves. Her long blond hair swayed slightly as she walked, and her slender arms were graceful at her sides. She was a little "dressed up," coming to supper, changing out of her usual outfit to soft leather pants that showed her figure, and a shirt and set off her trim waist and small breasts perfectly.

To the elf, she was as radiant as any elf-maid, but she was human. These words brought him out of his trance. Human. She was mortal, and yet, she was precious to him. In the wrong way. He had to forget those thoughts. She thought of him as nothing but a friend. What chance did he have?

He caught her eye again, and she gestured for him to join her at the table. Smiling back, he crossed the floor between the entrance and the table without realizing it. Then he sat, looking from the noble face of his prince to the proud and almost weary face of King Elessar.

To his surprise, the prince greeted him graciously, and the king that he barely knew spoke to him as if he were an old friend. All this because I befriended a human girl, the thought and smiled. When he looked upon the three, he could not help but feel jealous at how easily Laine seemed to be able to communicate with them.

The worries were wiped from her face as the three friends recalled moments from before and laughed at them. They even explained a few to him, and he laughed as well. The food was only touched now and then when the conversation died down, but it was soon neglected when another subject was brought up.

Though he had known Legolas all his life, Ranien had never seen the prince speak or laugh this way. They had been friends before he had joined the Fellowship, and now, a hostile air seemed to hang between them.

Ranien found himself staring at Laine more and more, and without realizing it, Aragorn saw him. As Ranien shook his head and tried to pay attention to the talk, the man locked eyes with him. He knew.

But before Ranien could respond, a voice, cold and filled with malice interrupted him. An Elven voice. "Ah, we meet again, human," Ranien turned to find Maedhros with his two friends standing there. In his hand was wine glass, filled with reddish liquid. "Greetings, my liege, Aragorn, _Ranien_," he glared at him as he bowed to Legolas

"Maedhros," the prince threatened, but he elf remained calm.

"Your Highness, I was but to have a conversation with Laine," then, turning back to the girl, he spoke, "About this morning, I will have to apologize for being so clumsy. Sometimes, I am even afraid to hold a wine glass for fear of spilling on anyone. And I am holding this wine glass so _high_. It would be a pity, if I should… oh… say… spill some one your _lovely_ tunic." Suddenly, from behind, Celebfindel "bumped" into him, though a troubled look was on his face as if he had been forced into this, causing him to fall forward exaggeratedly, tip the wineglass enough so that a quarter of the content fell on and down the girl's shirtfront.

She seemed at first so shocked that she could not speak, as if not believing someone would actually do that to her, and then angry as she shook from holding herself back. "Dear me," Maedhros said. "Did _I_ do that?" Laine and Aragorn both sprung abruptly from their chairs, unable to contain their anger any longer, and Ranien gripped the table tightly for self-control. Legolas did not speak but glared at Maedhros with such anger that the warrior could not look at him.

Laine's face was so dark that Ranien was afraid that she would lose control and strike the elf. Instead, she only closed her eyes for a few seconds, opened them, and gestured for Aragorn to sit again, without taking her eyes off of the elf. The man gave her a look, but containing his temper, he sat as he was told. He had had enough experience of the girl's personality to know that when she wanted to handle something on her own, she'd do it on her own, and anyone interfering was in her way.

What the elf had done had quieted the entire Hall and all eyes were on that table. Everyone was waiting for the human to respond. The air was tenser than a bowstring, pulled to the last inch, as she opened her mouth. Her words were not angry, to Ranien's surprise, but calm. Calm and very, very cold. The way it sounded made it even worse than if she had screamed it.

"Maedhros," she began with some effort in a tone close to a whisper. "You think you're so great because you're a warrior and have friends and cronies. But I know people like you. You're insecure. The only reason you pick on people is so you can keep your reputation up."

The elf gave an impudent sigh. "Please, spare me. I do not want to hear your reasoning, so don't bother."

But she came right back at him. "I won't. I just wanted to tell you that you won't even know when your friends will abandon you at the time you need them the most." She walked towards him until she face was just a foot away from his. She did not even reach the tip of his nose, though the look in her eyes seemed to make her at least five feet taller. "Sometimes," she drew out her words, her voice so icy you could have had a frost bite if you cared to listen, "you won't even know hen your own drink will… _turn_ on you."

With that, she snatched the wine glass from his hand and poured what was left of the content onto his head.

The elf gaped at her, red liquid dripping form his chin, nose, and hair on to his clothes. The entire hall was silent. The human broke it finally, with a last, farewell line. "Oh, dear me," she smiled, "did I do that?"

It took both Taecarwatar and Celebfindel to stop Maedhros from jumping on Laine and pulling him away. As he went, she sat down again, an innocent smile plastered on her face. Ranien had to bury his face in his food for a while to keep from laughing.

Aragorn was silently chuckling and shaking his head. No one paid attention to them anymore. They were all focusing on Maedhros, who was still trying to throw off his friends. Watching this, Legolas could not keep from quietly laughing. "You are lucky my father was out on an errand," he told her, but his eyes were twinkling.

"Poor elf," Aragorn was looking towards the three. "You wounded his pride, Laine. Let him just look good for once."

"It's called self defense," was all she said.

Ranien began to like her more and more.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2

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Two days after the wineglass-tipping incident, Legolas had assembled a hunt and invited Laine along. Though she thought hunting and killing animal for a sport was cruel, she agreed to go because she thought a few days without the only people she trusted in the entire forest and staying with elves she did not know was too much for her to handle. Staying in one place around so many elves had made her jumpy. But when she found out Taecarwatar, Maedhros, and Celebfindel was also going, along with some of their friends, her heart sank.

Still, she could not go back on her word, and the next day, she had taken a change of clothes, food, weapons, and some other necessities in a pack. She knew very well that she was not great at using the bow and arrow. Not that she was trying to kill or injure any animals on the hunt, but she wanted to at least look like she was prepared. Knowing also that she and Maedhros were at war, she did not want to have any weaknesses.

She met up with Ranien near the Great Hall of the woodland palace, where he seemed to be waiting for something, but he immediately abandoned his posts to go with her towards the front gate. They joined Aragorn and Legolas outside; the two were loading up their horses. Legolas's a white mare, and Aragorn's a brown stallion were standing at ready, and they were just making a few last minute check-ups. A few other elves were with them, but most of the others were still inside.

How they could see in the dim light that trickled out of the forest eaves in the morning, Laine did not know, but she had to squint to help Ranien shorten some lengths of rope. Putting the pack on the horse was an even more difficult task, though she somehow managed to do it. Then, with nothing else to do, she walked Ranien's horse along the forest floor, which was littered with leaves and sorrel.

Maedhros and this group of friends arrived a few minutes later with a small group and horses. Some rode and others preferred to walk, like Laine, though she suspected that they were a lot better at riding bareback than she was.

The elven gates opened by elf magic and the small band of hunters marched out of the enclosed elven city, staying close to the path that could barely be seen among the fallen leaves and undergrowth. However, it was a lot lighter on the path than in the forest itself, and Laine was glad of it. Though the feeling of being closed in never completely went away, she learned to live with it, as did the elves.

On the hunt, the band saw several squirrels, rabbits, and other small game, but none worth catching. Besides, the small animals scampered quickly back into their hiding places among the thick trees off the path and none wanted to go after them. Birds chirped in the canopy and small mammals moved as if there was nothing wrong among the shadowy eaves of the forest, but the big game did not appear until the late afternoon, and even then, they were scarce.

Some time at dusk, Ranien and two other elves brought down a small deer, but that was it. The forest around the elven city seemed almost depleted of large game, and during camp that night, the elves agreed to split up, leaving some to stay at the camp to take care of packs, and others to go further south, where there was more game.

Laine wanted to stay behind, not wanting to see anymore dead animals, but Legolas pushed her into going, saying that if she did not go, it would only make some of the elves think less of her. She did not want to look like a coward, so she again agreed.

But when she realized that spending the night meant sharing a tent with at least three other elves, she hesitated. She hesitated even more when she found out that her roommates were not going to be Legolas or Aragorn. Instead, she was sharing with Taecarwatar, Celebfindel, and Ranien.

"No!" she told the prince when she found the elves in her tent. "You know Taecarwatar and Celebfindel hate me. They will make my life miserable."

Legolas only smiled. "Good," he answered. "Perhaps it will help you build character." He laughed a little at Laine's horrified expression.

Though she knew that Legolas had been joking, Laine still could not believe she was assigned to the same tent as two of the elves in Mirkwood that hated her most. Worst of all, she could not whine or complain because it would seem childish.

She would have to live with it.

Come, Laine, she thought, making her way to the tent. It is only one night. How hard can it be?

With her pack on her shoulder, she pushed back the rough tent flap and entered, finding the two elves talking to each other in their own tongue and spreading the blankets on the soft, dirt ground for their beds. They immediately stopped when she came in, though it was not necessary because they had been talking too fast for her to decipher any words anyway, though she could speak and listen to a little Sindarin.

The entire tent was crude, based on elven standards, but it was good enough to spend the night in. The four beds were arranged so that everyone had his or her corner. Having no outhouse, anyone wanting to relieve themselves would have to run out of the tent at night, and go in the dark. It was a hunting tent, and that meant minimal comfort. A small fire was kept going in the middle, and would be put down to embers once everyone agreed to sleep. No watch would be kept, for elven magic kept the fire from spreading.

As she dropped her pack in the corner, Laine could feel their eyes on her back, which made her even more uncomfortable. She could still feel them as she spread out her bed as far as she could from theirs.

The slight wind at her back told her that Ranien had also entered the tent. Like all elves, his footsteps were light and could not be heard. His pack barely made a sound as it settled on the ground. Only then did Celebfindel finally break the wall barrier of silence.

"We will be going south of our usual hunting rounds," he spoke, almost as if more to the human than anyone else. She gave him a sidewise glance, but did not say anything. "There are spiders there, bigger than a grown man," he continued. "Their appetites are extremely large, even for creatures their size, and they usually cannot get more than rabbits or squirrels for their meals."

Ranien gave a sound that sounded something like a snort. But Taecarwatar continued, "I am sure they would enjoy a tasty meal of a girl's tender flesh. I have heard that they carry off any living thing that wanders in the wild alone."

Laine still did not say anything, but Ranien cut in. "Do not worry, Laine. They are but playing with your mind."

She shrugged again. "Do not be so sure, Ranien," Celebfindel cut in. Even though she was not facing him, Laine could picture the smug look on his face. "I have heard that they have carried off entire hunting parties before. You can see bones near their webs, where they have devoured their prey."

Finally, she turned to face the three elves, still holding a lumpy pillow in one hand. Ranien placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, only to find her relatively calm, seemingly not at all troubled by what the other two were saying. Nevertheless, he added, "Alright, a single person, perhaps, but not entire hunting parties."

He was surprised to find the human girl laughing quietly. "I have known about the spiders for a long time," she told them in her strange accent. "Spiders do not eat their prey, but merely inject a poisonous substance to paralyze them and then suck out their body fluids. And, if they are as big as you say, their chelicerae are probably so sharp, it would not matter if your skin was soft or not. Therefore, they would probably go for the largest prey, which will very unlikely be me."

At this, she looked pointedly at Taecarwatar, who even for an elf was a giant at six feet six inches.

Laine turned back to toss her pillow on her spread at their silence. There was no more talk for the rest of the night, as the elves laughed at her seriousness when they were only speaking in jest.

Soon, however, Celebfindil and Taecarwatar lay down and assumed their sleeping positions: arms folded over their chest and eyes open.

It was late, and though Laine did very little hunting that day, she was still tired. Untying the band that held her hair in place, she turned her back to the others to give them a chance for modesty.

While the two others were already in their bedrolls, Ranien could not help but stare. He was sitting on his sheets as he watched girl grope for a wooden brush, then run it through her hair, brushing the day's tangles, knots, and bumps away.

He could not take his eyes off the girl's long, luxuriant hair, as she passed the brush through it, long fingers entwining the brush handle. He longed to touch her hair, which was thick and gold.

He almost stopped her from putting the brush away, but controlled himself to sit still. But when she began to undo the buttons on her shirt, did he realize that he was not supposed to be looking. She was done unbuttoning and was going to remove the shirt when she suddenly stopped and seemed to realize something.

Something had made her stop, and slowly, she turned, thinking that she felt eyes on her back. Turning all the way around, she was shocked to find the elves' eyes open. Then, she realized that elves always slept that way and turned around again, removing her shirt.

She had a light blue tank top underneath, and she crawled under her blanket and blew out the last remaining candle, kicking some sand upon the fire as she went.

Thirty minutes later, when Ranien was sure that the human's steady breathing meant she was asleep; he let out a sight of relief. Thank Elbereth Gilthoniel for making humans nearly deaf. He had jumped into bed when she turned around, and had not seen or heard him move.

"You enjoyed that, did you not, Rae?" came Celebfindel, using the name that all his friends called him. At the moment, he was only teasing the other elf. He was also feigning sleep. He had heard the other elf's sigh, and could not help but cut in. "Watching her undress?"

In the dark, Ranien immediately became red. He had thought that no one had known but him. Obviously, this was untrue, and Celebfindel had been awake as well. He must have known all of that too. "I was…" he tried to find the right word, "…startled."

He did not expect Celebfindel to believe him, and just like he thought, the elf came back at him with another remark. "You like her," Ranien could hear the dawning of truth in his voice. "You long for a human girl. You long for _that_ human girl."

Ranien did not speak, but Celebfindel knew him too well. "Ranien," the elf spoke after a long pause, warningly. In his voice, Ranien detected fear. Fear, sadness, and anger, all in one. "Ranien, this is wrong. Are there not enough elf-maids in Mirkwood for you to choose from? Anyone so long as it is not this girl! Laine, what is she? She does not understand you. You cannot have feelings for a mortal. This is unheard of. You _cannot_ love this _mortal_."

His last sentence was so strong as he sat up that both the girl and Taecarwatar stirred in their sleep. Laine turned on her side, but the two sleepers did not wake. Celebfindel immediately stopped talking, but Ranien stared into the comforting darkness.

"What if I already do?" was all he asked, and would not say anymore.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3

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**

"I cannot believe Legolas cajoled me into this," muttered Laine, as she walked down the old hunting trail, looking in every direction for spiders. They were every bit as big as Celebfindel and Taecarwatar had described, and it was easy to believe that they _did _eat their victims if she had not known otherwise.

They were both frightening and fascinating, and she found at times, that she could not look away. She did not know that spiders could live at such a large size and had always believed that any creature with an exoskeleton that became too large would eventually burn to death, because their skeleton acted like glass in a greenhouse.

Too many times, she felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck and turned around to find a huge black spider crawling on a branch not far above her head. They were about as long as an elf was tall and their round, fat bodies were about four times as wide as she was. Laine's fear for these spiders were perceptible to all of the elves, and though the elves did not love these spiders, they were not afraid of them.

Occasionally, if one of the arachnids got too close, it would be shot. As he raised his bow to shoot, Maedhros suddenly had an idea. Perhaps this would pay her back for the humiliating moment with the wine glass. Shifting his position, he kept his arrow on the spider, and shot.

The effect was wonderful, as his aim was perfect from where he was standing, and the spider fell from the tree.

Laine was unsuspecting as the giant black bug fell from its perch and landed right where was about to put her foot. She was looking to her left at the time, trying to see if the spider that was on the tree would come to her or not, but the "plop" that the spider made as it hit the ground drew her attention back to the area in front of her.

What she did not do was look down, which would have just about given it all away.

She screamed and immediately jumped back, having accidentally stepped on one of the legs that was now crushed, knocked into an elf behind her, and breathed hard. The spider laid there, belly up, its hard outer skeleton protecting the softer insides.

Celebfindel, Taecarwatar, and Maedhros burst into laughter. The human girl whirled around, red-faced and fuming, now knowing that this had all been planned by the elves. Seeing that the three were laughing, she turned back to the road, and though she wanted to kick the spider off the road and keep on going, something stopped her. She saw tiny holes in the spider's outer shell that amused her deeply. She bent to look.

"At least now she has her eyes on the road," Celebfindel joked, and the three elves laughed again. Many of the other elves heard this and snickered as well. Even Ranien could not hold back a smile, though he knew better than to laugh out loud at the human girl. Also, Celebfindel was watching.

It was not until Laine came up and Ranien saw her give him a reproving look that reminded him of his youth when had stolen pastries from the kitchen and was caught by the chef, did he wipe the grin off of his face. However, Laine had learned something of interest. The spiders actually had _pores_.

"Really, now _what_ is so interesting in these _things_?" Maedhros could not help but ask her, as he came up next to her, attempting to make her feel even more foolish.

"How long have you lived in these woods, Maedhros?" she suddenly asked, her eyes not at all unfriendly, as the elf would have thought. He actually believed that she would have struck him for shooting down that spider, but to his surprise, her curiosity was genuine.

"My entire life," he answered cautiously. "Nearly three thousand years."

"And how long have you known about the spiders?"

"Ever since I was an elfling. A few years after I was born to be exact."

"And has everyone told you to stay away from them? Have they told you that they are dangerous creatures to be killed and slaughtered? To keep away from them?" Maedhros had no idea what the human girl was getting at, but he was altogether getting very uncomfortable in his position. His friends came up to see why they had stopped, and stopped a few paces behind him, listening.

He could only nod, but did not reply, thinking that opening his mouth would be foolish. "And because everyone has told you that, you accepted that as truth? You never went out to see for yourself? You never studied these spiders that you have known for nearly three thousand years, but only shot them down?

"Then I suppose you don't know that these creatures are perfectly harmless? That they only kill to protect themselves and keep themselves fed? That they do not attack elves for sport, as you seem to do to them? That they are in perfect symbiosis with some of the creatures that live in these forests and that if you wish them to all die, this entire forest cannot live?" she said, in a soft, dangerous voice. "You are so ignorant of things around you, and I think I know why." With that, she kicked the dead spider off the road, which gave a sickening "squish" as it hit a tree, and proceeded.

Not long after, the hunting party came to a stream. As Laine stared at it, she realized that there was something not quite right with the water. There was certain heaviness in it from the looks of its flow that told her the river held something more.

Though she was still angry at Ranien for snickering at the spider event and not supporting her, of all people, she asked him about the stream. She was glad that she could still talk to him, though, unlike some of the other elves that she had met on her short visit to Mirkwood. He was just as glad that she was still speaking to him. So glad in fact, that he nearly forgot to answer her question until she patiently asked him again.

"Oh!" he seemed startled. "Yes, my father spoke to me of this stream before, I believe, before he passed into the West. We do not drink of it or wade through it, for the waters are enchanted and puts on whoever touches it a spell of deep sleep so that if anyone steps into the stream, they will drown because they cannot swim."

Laine smiled and indicated the mossy fallen log that connected one end of the wide stream with the other. It did not seem much of a connection, so in a joking fashion, she asked while smiling even wider, "So… that explains the bridge, right?"

Catching the teasing tone in her voice, Ranien immediately explained. "We do not build bridges in these times for our protection. The Dark Lord may be vanquished, but much of his evil still lingers, especially here in southern Mirkwood. We are told that other races have trouble walking on narrow spaces." He gave a small laugh, as the hunting party made its way up onto the trunk of the tree and off on the other side just as easily as if were a real bridge, built with railings and other excess.

Laine hung back, unsure of herself. Balance really was not one of her strong points, and the last thing she needed was to fall asleep into a magic river that would put her to sleep.

She waited as the party passed her by and disconcerting memories of tripping over her own feet came to her mind. There was no way she could cross a thin log without falling over.

Ranien, who was one of the last to cross, turned and smiled at her, seeing the distressed look on her face. "Afraid of crossing?" he asked, his voice only a little bit mocking. "I cannot help you there, for crossing this trunk can only be done in single file."

He smiled teasingly.

"I'm not afraid of crossing," the human girl said indignantly. But the waver in her voice gave away her true fear.

Giving her another knowing smile, he replied, "Suit yourself," and was gone. Laine lingered until the last elf had gotten onto the tree. Then, with caution, she stepped onto the tree trunk. She slipped at the first step because of her nervousness, and her breath caught in her throat. A mistake like that in the middle of the log would cost her life.

_Don't look down_, she warned herself, and breathed in loudly. Then, grinding her teeth, she gathered her courage and almost ran toward the log. She soon found her balance. The log was not at all springy or wobbly, but held still, and she began to relax; all she needed to do was walk with one foot in front of the other, and she would soon be on the other side.

Suddenly, in the middle of the tree trunk, almost to the other side, she heard cries coming from the elves. All of them had crossed to the other side of the log, and she hesitatingly looked up. Trying hard to keep her balance, she saw that a herd of white deer had charged into the middle of the path, almost right in front of her. The beautiful proud creatures thundered across, going back toward the woods again, almost like a herd of bumbling bison in their hurry. The many antlers told her that most of the herd was male, which was strange, as deer herds usually contained many more females than males.

Laine strained her eyes and made out a few females, but what caught her attention even more was that the elves were charging forward, for white deer were rare and quicker than the most agile rabbit. One alone would be a great prize, even for the highest elven prince. But to Laine, this did not sound right.

She had read it somewhere. A pack of deer had come upon a group of weary travelers and had lured them from a forest path that someone else had told them to never leave. Where had she seen that?

Still in the middle of the tree trunk, and trying not to fall from all the commotion, Laine watched helplessly as the small band deserted her. Trying to mover her fastest and not slip off the log, she finally made it to the other bank of the river. By that time, there was no trace of the elves or the deer.

She was utterly alone.

No crickets chirped, no birds, or any other shuffling of animals came from the empty, dark forest. That was why the herd of deer had seemed so strange. No other animals could be heard, and it was eerie that the only animals present were those they were hunting.

She was there alone, with nothing but the small pack on her back and her clothes. She had weapons, but what were they against an ambush or hungry spiders, as Celebfindel had put in.

With that thought, her mind came to focus, and she had a varied recollection of Celebfindel's account of spiders carrying off individuals and didn't have a single doubt about his story. And most importantly, where had she read that passage about the luring deer? It had also happened in Mirkwood. A band of people, tired and hungry, were in desperate need of fresh air. Then, a sudden pack of deer—white deer—had come. The band had wasted the last of their arrows on them, and then had nothing to hunt with.

Finally, they wandered off the path in search of food, and were rescued, or in their case, captured, by the Mirkwood elves. Where were all these enchanted white deer coming from? She did not know the answer to that, but she did know one thing: this was not a good sign.

* * * *

The small band of elves came to a halt. They had lost all sight of the white deer, and in the sudden outburst of the chase, they had nearly left the path. They almost would have, if the prince had not stopped them all in time.

Now, they were in a clearing, where the sun shone down brightly and lit up the entire area, showing that it was nearly noon. The trees around them now seemed to become higher than before because of the extra sunlight, and also, the undergrowth had become more difficult to walk through. The path kept going straight, leading away southeast, as far as the eye could see, cutting through the trees. The white deer had gone off towards the west. They would not find them unless they left the path, which would surely mean death.

Legolas sighed, and slowed to a walking pace so that Aragorn could catch up. The band, consisting of only fifteen people, slowed as well, going along with the pace of their prince. As Legolas halted to let his human friend catch up, he saw a worried expression on his face. His eyebrows were knitted and the lines on his brow had deepened. He was wringing his hands with impatience.

"What is it?" Legolas asked automatically.

"Laine," the king answered. "I have counted. We have fourteen and she is not among any of them. Look for yourself."

Legolas did not even bother, knowing that Aragorn's word was to be trusted. "What?" he exclaimed.

"I believe she slowed at the crossing of the stream," the man replied. "The bridge may have been difficult for her to pass." He had grown up around such elven contraptions and had long learned to keep his bearings when he came upon them.

The prince sighed and shook his head. "Why did we not—" Because he had been too intent on his conversation with Aragorn, he had not paid attention to the road in front of him. Too late did he hear the pull of a rope and a latch snapping in half as something else caught his foot.

In a blink of an eye, the entire band of elves were swept off of their feet into a net of rough ropes that were created by another race in Mirkwood. They were a tangled mess, arms and legs in all direction, all in the same batch, like ants caught in their own anthill. Taecarwatar tried to reach the knife at his side, but it was too closely pressed to another elf's torso.

He was about to ask the elf next to him if he could reach it and cut them loose, but at that moment, a loud racket of footsteps, harsh singing, and brash-sounding laughter interrupted him.

Just then, a band of dwarves walk into view, checking to see what their traps had caught. One, possibly the leader of the band, was the first to notice the elves dangling from the tree. Laughing heartily, he cried out, "Look what we got in the net, lads! A band of elves! Well, well… hmmm…. Let me see. We can't eat 'em, but surely, others will find this free meal… very _inviting_. Let's leave them up for bait then, shall we lads?"

The other dwarves laughed loudly and there were cheers of yeses. "Let us down!" Maedhros cried angrily. He was unfortunate enough to be at the very bottom of the net, and was slowly suffocating under the weight of the prince and one of his friends.

The dwarves laughed even louder as they came closer to get a better look at the elves they had caught. Some even prodded at them to see their reactions. "A waste of a perfectly good net," one especially fat dwarf spoke out, examining the elves, crushing each other in the net.

"Nidin-noed!" Taecarwatar cried out, almost on the verge of hysterics. Even though the line had been in Elvish, it was all too well known to the Dwarves. The leader snarled, and took an ax from his belt, ready to but the elf out of his misery.

* * * *

Laine stepped from tree to tree; trying to remember and figure out in what direction the elves had gone after they had chased the deer. To her, the memory was vague because it seemed as if they had ran off in different directions altogether, all chasing a different deer. It would be impossible to catch them, Laine knew, if they had all ran at the famous speed of the fair folk.

Not really paying attention to where she was going, she walked into a clearing by luck. If she had looked up, she would have through this odd in a forest as close as Mirkwood, but she did not. Not even realizing that she was in the sun again, she breathed in deeply. The only reason she realized something was different was that the breath of fresh air caught her attention at last.

Not having felt the soft waft of warm afternoon breezes for several weeks, she lifted her face to catch it. As she did, she saw something shiny moving through the air. Nearly two year in Middle-Earth told her that moving, glistening things were usually weapons, such as arrows or axes.

It was too big to be an arrow, and too small to be a sword. Elves did not wield battle-axes, and one flying was a bad sign. Without think about the consequences and her own outcomes, she sprinted, catching momentum and caught the ax by the handle.

* * * *

Maedhros watched, horrified that Taecarwatar had not been able to bite his tongue at the most critical moment. The ax was hurtling straight for his face, and in less than a second, it would possibly plunge into his skull, killing him instantly, with much pain. He did not want to die.

Not this way.

If ever he considered passing on, it was to sail in a gray ship to the Undying Lands and to stay there with the divine grace of the Valar, but even that seemed far away. He definitely did not want to die under the ax of an angry dwarf.

Without realizing it, he whispered, so soft so that even the elves that were close to him and pressing against him, even if they were listening for a sound, could not hear it, "Elbereth Gilthoniel, protect me!" With that, he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to be open-eyed during his last few moments on this earth.

He waited.

But the blow did not come. Was he dead? Had he died so quickly as to not even feel the bitter pain and bite of the sharp edge of the battle-ax?

Afraid, heat pounding in his throat, and the blood rushing in his ears, he opened his eyes. He did not see the rich green lands of Valinor nor the deep blue of the waters of the Great Sea.

Around him, still, were the shadowed eaves of Mirkwood forest that he knew so well and had known all his life. The ax had not moved. He was not dead for he clearly felt the weight of the elf on top of him and could feel the heat beginning to rise from his face for being so foolish.

But a familiar voice and body had appeared before him, standing next to the dwarf. "What are you doing?"

Laine. Maedhros saw that she was painfully gripping the handle of the axe that the dwarf was holding so that it did not come down on the elves in the net.

"Human!" the dwarf cried. "Why do you meddle in affairs that do not concern you?" Suddenly, the rest of the dwarves had drawn their weapons and pointed their axes at the human girl.

The leader looked closely at the strangely dressed person, whose golden hair was pulled away from his face by a piece of string so that it would not get in the way. His speed and agility was unmatched by any that he knew of, and yet, when he had spoken, his voice had not been the soft, clear voice of an elf. And yet, nor was it the deep, resonant voice of a man.

And yet, this human had seemingly come from nowhere to catch the battle-axe. Someone with that speed could not be underestimated. "Unfortunately, these affairs do concern me," Laine answered.

The dwarf narrowed his eyes, and Laine gulped as the dwarves closed in around her, their battle-axes pointed at her neck. Yet still, she fought to hold the axe the leader was carrying back so that it would not harm the elves. "So you are on their side, human? Do not be stupid. Elves of these kinds do not welcome your race and you know that. They will hurt you and cheat you. Why not leave them and we will both be satisfied? Leave them to the spiders and let their own people find them here, only empty shells of what they once were. Hmm?"

Laine laughed a little, despite the cold shiver of fear that went down her back as she once again looked at the sharp edges of the dwarves' axes. Dwarves were not always peaceful, and she had greatly angered them by stopping their leader. "If this was a different situation, I would agree with you indefinitely, Master Dwarf. Some of these elves have not treated me so kindly. But today, there are at least three people I would not want to see perish in that net. So kindly, let them all down if you will."

The leader sneered. "I will not! So unless you care to fight us all, you will have to leave your friends with us."

Laine froze. She had no intention to fight the entire band of dwarves, and even if she did, she knew she could not win. She needed words, not muscle. "If you should kill me and the rest of these elves as well, your lives will be greatly endangered," she replied in the same stubborn tone as the dwarf leader. "There will be elves that will come looking for their friends and family members, and they will know from tracks and these ropes that it was dwarvish work. They will hunt you down and kill you. Either way, you lose something. Better not make it your lives."

The leader snarled again, but his eyes were thoughtful. If he killed this human and the rest of the elves, he would die, but he could not trust to freeing the elves for fear they would kill him afterward. Thinking again, he realized that if elves came, they would possibly come and kill his entire colony of dwarves. Unlikely, though it could happen if someone really came to look for these elves.

"We do not love elves," the leader stated briefly. Then, he added, "And they will perish unless you care to come and free them all," he flashed his eyes, indicating the net of elves. "And in that case, you will have to fight us all to get your way. Either way, you lose something. Better not make it your life."

Laine swallowed hard. Things were not going as planned. The dwarves were a stubborn folk, and it seemed that the leader's mind was made up; she would not be able to say anything to change his decision.

She looked toward the net, and saw that the rope at the top was not out of her reach. Dwarves were not tall, and their contraptions were naturally lower to the ground. If she could somehow get out of this crowd of dwarves, she could possibly cut the top of the net and allow the elves to help her fight them.

But she had thought for too long. One dwarf piped up, "Why not dispose of this human as well? Even better, let us do it now. Then, we can continue our hunt in peace, without this human nagging us for our trophies."

Many joined in agreement, screaming and stamping. Her heart caught in her throat.

The axes were pointed directly at her.

Without another thought, she wrenched the battle-axe from the leader and lunged forward, toward the net. Thinking that any time, she would have a battle-axe cut through her back, she cringed as she cut the rope above the net so that it fell to the ground. Not worrying anymore about the elves, she turned to face the dwarves.

The elves were still tangled together in the net, however, but the dwarves had already realized what had happened, and turned to attack the girl.

She had never used a battle-axe before, and was unsure how to wield it. The dwarves came in swarms, holding their axes high, ready to bring them down on her head. She gasped and dodged out of the way, still stupidly holding the stolen axe in front of her.

Another dwarf came at her and she swung the axe clumsily, managing to parry his blow. She kicked out, landing a foot into his stomach. As she connected with flesh, her confidence came back, and she lashed out with the harder edges of her body. The dwarf received another elbow in his back before he fell on his stomach.

The girl reached down, took his axe and threw it as hard as she could at another dwarf. This second dwarf blocked the flying axe, which went flying into a nearby tree. But even as she did, the rest of the dwarves had regrouped, and she now had fourteen angry dwarves facing her, all of their axes raised. It was an impossible fight. She could not fight all of them.

But by now, most of the elves had been able to extricate themselves from the net that had bound them. None scratched, and only a few of them bruised, they were still angry, and ready to come to Laine's aid. The elves drew their daggers, and soon, were able to subdue the dwarves so that they retreated into the woods, unable to overcome the prince and his party.

Cheers erupted from the elves, though Laine did not join in. Aragorn put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, but she did not respond. She was too badly shaken from having seen fourteen blood-thirsty dwarves facing her. It was an ordeal she had never experienced before.

She put her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

"Are you alright?" Aragorn asked, and she nodded, trying to put on a smile, but failing. "You look very shaken."

Laine tried to laugh. "Facing fifteen angry dwarves tends to do that to you," she said, her voice still wobbling.

"Laine?"

She turned to find Maedhros behind her. Her hands began to shake even more.

She was unprepared for an attack right now from the elves; she was still trying to recover from the ordeal with the dwarves. She had never been very good by herself in battle, and had always fought alongside Legolas or Gimli. They were able to fill the spots that she always missed.

And now, she found herself again alone, standing before this elf.

He looked her in the eye, his face expressionless.

Laine held her breath.

"I want to thank you for saving my life."

The words were completely unexpected, and Laine did not know how to respond. Celebfindel and Taecarwatar came up behind the other elf, and nodded their heads in thanks. Their eyes were no longer filled with cruelty.

"Of course," she answered, and turned to find Ranien standing next to her. His fists were tight, as if he was ready to defend her against the three other elves. She smiled at his loyalty.

But even Celebfindel had seen this move. "Be at ease, Ranien," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "We are only here to thank the girl. After all, Laine is no longer unwelcome."

**The End**

* * *

Sequel in Forbidden Things Are Forbidden


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